# Free rimshot and side-stick samples > Free rimshot and side-stick samples: dry cross-stick clicks and sharp rim hits for reggaeton, ballads, house and lo-fi, each with a commercial-use verdict. 23 samples from 2 sources (Wikimedia Commons 14, Openverse 9), updated 2026-10-23. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily. - Same search in the browser: https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=rimshot&category=drums.snare - Same search over the API: `curl "https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=rimshot&category=drums.snare"` - Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://sound.shep.bot/v1/samples/{id}` with an id from the table below. - Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for a release; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. See https://sound.shep.bot/docs/licences.md ## Two sounds, one name In drumming, a rimshot is a loud accent: the stick strikes the snare head and the metal rim at the same moment. A cross-stick, or side-stick, is the gentle click you hear in ballads and bossa nova. On drum machines, "rimshot" almost always means a short, tuned click, and that is what most producers search for. This collection covers all three, so listen before you pick. Acoustic side-sticks bring a woody tone and some snare buzz. Machine rimshots are bright and very short, which makes them ideal for fast syncopated patterns. ## Using a rim in a groove A rim works as a quiet backbeat in verses, with the full snare saved for the chorus. It also makes a good ghost-note layer between hats. Because rim samples are so short, small timing shifts matter: nudging them slightly late gives a laid-back feel, while early hits push the groove forward. ## Samples | Sample | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Rimshot loop 208bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_208bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_208bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 208 BPM, 4.5 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Rimshot loop 66bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_66bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_66bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 66 BPM, 14 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Rimshot loop 60bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_60bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_60bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 60 BPM, 16 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Rimshot loop 168bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_168bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_168bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 168 BPM, 5.7 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Rimshot loop 108bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_108bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_108bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 108 BPM, 8.8 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - Bdum-bheh](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Bdum-bheh.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Bdum-bheh.wav` | Snare, 8.0 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - Bu-doo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Bu-doo.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Bu-doo.wav` | Snare, 8.0 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - Crasher](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Crasher.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Crasher.wav` | Snare, 14 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Rimshot loop 120bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_120bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_120bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 120 BPM, 7.9 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - Kdum-keesh](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Kdum-keesh.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Kdum-keesh.wav` | Snare, 14 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - Bah-dum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Bah-dum.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_Bah-dum.wav` | Snare, 8.0 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - 4-second roll](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_4-second_roll.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_4-second_roll.wav` | Snare, 7.2 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Kevin MacLeod assorted rimshots - D-dum-ping](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_D-dum-ping.wav) | `wikimediacommons:Kevin_MacLeod_assorted_rimshots_-_D-dum-ping.wav` | Snare, 14 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Rimshot loop 76bpm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rimshot_loop_76bpm.ogg) | `wikimediacommons:Rimshot_loop_76bpm.ogg` | Snare, Loop, 76 BPM, 12 s | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes | | [Rimshot (sweet)](https://freesound.org/people/Sajmund/sounds/132418) | `openverse:4b2d416c-0874-44c3-b30a-bc3709eed3e6` | Snare, One-shot, 1.1 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Sting, rimshot, drum roll (smooth)](https://freesound.org/people/tlwmdbt/sounds/440829) | `openverse:2badd7f7-3cfc-4554-b2ca-996c60d840e8` | Snare, 5.3 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Ludwig Black Beauty Snare Drum Open Rimshot Unprocessed.wav](https://freesound.org/people/pjcohen/sounds/46565) | `openverse:24537281-3e07-4640-9191-b917528d639d` | Snare, One-shot, 1.1 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Ludwig Black Beauty Snare Drum Closed Rimshot Unprocessed.wav](https://freesound.org/people/pjcohen/sounds/46564) | `openverse:96162497-06f9-4988-88fa-4d713c84ce0f` | Snare, One-shot, 0.1 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Ba dum tss [Joke Rimshot] - Detroit Garage](https://freesound.org/people/FREE_SOUND_ENTERTAINMENT/sounds/561859) | `openverse:e0d6f999-2ac4-47eb-8f10-a08695733abe` | Snare, 8.0 s | Openverse | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Timbales High Rimshot (Macho)](https://freesound.org/people/Sassaby/sounds/533089) | `openverse:dfd0df2d-ac10-47a9-9adb-12b10a45971b` | Snare, One-shot, 1.7 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes | | [Rimshot](https://freesound.org/people/altemark/sounds/207937) | `openverse:cb39acb7-519d-4511-9ec0-49e5e3b9c3a6` | Snare, One-shot, 0.32 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Ba dum tss [Joke Rimshot] - Brooklyn](https://freesound.org/people/FREE_SOUND_ENTERTAINMENT/sounds/561860) | `openverse:42ffd856-f673-48bc-9994-6f54b04183fe` | Snare, 12 s | Openverse | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | | [Snare-RimShot-Medium3.wav](https://freesound.org/people/Surfjira/sounds/56457) | `openverse:ff2f341f-8390-492f-8467-8d950ab4d927` | Snare, One-shot, 0.99 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes | ## Questions **Is a side-stick the same as a rimshot?** Not quite. A rimshot hits the head and the rim together for a loud, cracking snare. A side-stick (cross-stick) lays the stick across the head and taps the rim, giving a quiet woody click. Drum machines label the click sound 'rimshot', which is why the two names get mixed up. **Which genres use the 808 rimshot?** The 808's short, high click is all over reggaeton, dembow, Miami bass and minimal house, usually playing a syncopated pattern on top of the kick and snare. ## Related collections - [Free snare samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-snare-samples.md): Free snare drum samples, from tight acoustic snares and rimshots to crunchy drum machine hits, with a playable preview and a licence verdict on each. - [Free clap samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-clap-samples.md): Free hand clap and snap samples, from stacked crowd claps to tight drum machine claps, ready to layer with snares, each with a licence verdict and preview. - [Free percussion samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-percussion-samples.md): Free percussion one-shots and hits: congas, bongos, cowbells, tambourines, woodblocks and more, for Latin, afro, house and hip hop, with licence verdicts. - [Free TR-808 drum machine samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-tr-808-drum-samples.md): Free Roland TR-808 drum machine samples: the booming kick, snappy snare, clap, cowbell, rimshot and hats that shaped hip hop, electro and trap, with licences. - [Free breakbeats and drum breaks](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-breakbeats.md): Free drum breaks and breakbeat loops for jungle, drum and bass, hip hop and breaks, with tempo where known and a licence verdict, including cleared breaks. - [Free crash cymbal samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-crash-cymbal-samples.md): Free crash cymbal one-shots, from short trashy splashes to long cinematic crashes, to mark the start of a section, each with a preview and licence verdict. --- Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rimshot-samples